The Denver Mountain Parks system contains 14,000 acres (57 km²) of parklands in the mountains and foothills of Jefferson County, Clear Creek County, Douglas County,and Grand County, Colorado, west of Denver. Owned and maintained by the City and County of Denver, this historic system was launched in 1910 and required Congressional approval (in 1914) for the city to purchase lands outside its municipal limits. Denver’s Mayor Speer helped develop and promote the mountain park idea among Denver citizens; a city election in May 1912 gave voter approval to a mill levy to support the project. The mountain parks system was created “for the purpose of assuring perpetually to the residents of Denver the sublime scenery of the Rockies, the preservation of native forests and having for all time a pleasure ground in the mountains for the thousands of annual visitors to the city easily accessible.” ^[1] Jefferson County is the name of 26 counties in the United States. ... Clear Creek County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. ... Douglas County is the name of several counties in the United States: Douglas County, Colorado Douglas County, Georgia Douglas County, Illinois Douglas County, Kansas Douglas County, Minnesota Douglas County, Missouri Douglas County, Nebraska Douglas County, Nevada Douglas County, Oregon Douglas County, South Dakota Douglas County, Washington Douglas County, Wisconsin This... Grand County is the name of two counties in the United States: Grand County, Colorado Grand County, Utah This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Official language(s) English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Area  Ranked 8th  - Total 104,185 sq mi (269,837 km²)  - Width 280 miles (451 km)  - Length 380 miles (612 km)  - % water 0. ... This article refers to the state capital of Colorado. ... This article refers to the state capital of Colorado. ...

In 1912, Denver hired Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. to plan the park system.^[2] Olmsted identified 41,310 acres (167 km²) of land that Denver should acquire for parks, mountain roads, and to protect scenic vistas.^[3] Acquisition of Genesee Park began in 1913; it was the first park established and, at 2,403 acres (9.7 km²), is still the largest. The last new park, purchased in 1927-28, was Red Rocks Park. Federick Law Olmsted, Jr. ... Red Rocks Area Red Rocks Park is a mountain park to the southwest of Denver, Colorado, where very large, dark red boulders seem to sprout from the earth. ...

The Denver Mountain Parks system currently consists of about 28 developed parks and other undeveloped parklands that serve as open space, scenic viewsheds, and wildlife habitat. It ranges in elevation from 5,800 to 13,000 ft above sea level. Many of the parks have picnic areas and some have trails. J.J.B. Benedict designed many of the pavilions and shelters in these parks, using native stone and timber to create a “mountain architecture” style that blends into the natural sites. ^[4]

The Denver Mountain Park properties encompass a variety of habitats, including prairie, mountain meadow, riparian forests, montane (ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir) and subalpine (Englemann spruce) forests, and alpine tundra. Bison herds were established in wildlife preserves at Genesee Park in 1914 and later in Daniels Park as part of an effort to recover these species extirpated from Colorado.

The Denver Mountain Parks were designated to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990 and 1995 as a result of a multiple-property submission that included fourteen parks. Two of the highways originally built by Denver in 1912-1914, the Bear Creek Canyon Scenic Mountain Drive and the Lariat Trail Scenic Mountain Drive, were also included in that designation.^[4] These drives today are part of the Lariat Loop Scenic & Historic Byway.

List of Mountain Parks

• Bergen Park
• Bear Creek Canyon
• Beaver Brook Trail
• Bell Park
• Colorow Point Park
• Corwina Park
• Cub Creek & Dillon Park
• Daniels Park
• Dedisse Park
• Deer Creek Park
• Echo Lake Park
• Fillius Park
• Forsberg Park
• Genesee Park
• Katherine Craig Park
• Little Park
• Lookout Mountain Park
• Morrison Park
• Newton Park
• O'Fallon Park
• Pence Park
• Red Rocks Park
• Summit Lake Park
• Turkey Creek Park

Red Rocks Area Red Rocks Park is a mountain park to the southwest of Denver, Colorado, where very large, dark red boulders seem to sprout from the earth. ...

References

2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... April 28 is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 247 days remaining. ... Federick Law Olmsted, Jr. ... 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday in the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... July 17 is the 198th day of the year (199th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... April 28 is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 247 days remaining. ... Federick Law Olmsted, Jr. ... 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... January 20 is the 20th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... April 28 is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 247 days remaining. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... April 10 is the 100th day of the year (101st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

General Sources

• 1918. No author. What the City has done in Five Years to Bring Wilderness Charm to the Masses. Municipal Facts (monthly). Vol. 1 No. 1. (and numerous other articles published in Municipal Facts 1912-1928)
• 1995. Denver Mountain Park System, multiple property submission to National Register of Historic Places.
• 2004. Noel, Thomas J. Sacred Stones: Colorado's Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre. ISBN: 0972953000 City & County of Denver, Division of Theatres & Arenas

External links

• Denver Mountain Parks
• Denver Mountain Parks Foundation
• Denver Mountain Parks History Pages
• Lariat Loop Scenic & Historic Byway